General Strategy
This page is for general strategy applicable to any character or class. Usually surrounding items and item combinations. Starting Strategies Wizard Starts with a couple of points into life and light magic and a magic missile wand. Handy for a starter magic user that wants to focus in light and life magic without having to worry about restarting too early in the dungeon due to death. Be mindful of your wand charges, however; if you run out before finding an alternative offensive power (another wand or a spell) you'll be fairly defenseless. White Witch The female alternate to the Wizard starts with a book of lightning, a heavy hitting spell. The only real problem with this is that lightning (after leveling your Light skill once) will strike your cat as well if you don't manage it, which can be really troublesome at the start of the game. Managing your small supply of mana is your most pressing concern in the early game. Sorcerer Unlike the other classes he doesn't start with any quick and easy ways to kill off NPCs, but he does start with 10 random potions. This opens up the possibility of identifying and blessing (via a priest) gain ability, gain level, and enlightment instead of immediately drinking them. Sorceress Starts with a spellbook of 'Absorb Curse.' While this doesn't do much good until you've got enough health to take the 20-40 points of damage this spell can dish out, it can be an effective source of curse management. Valkyrie As always, use her starting pet to curse ID any items found. For the first few levels (1-3) it is best to use weapons she has skill training in (axes and clubs), to increase the chance she will be able to land hits on her foes around as often as they land on her. Upon reaching level 3-4 she should have enough gear/tools/HP to begin safely skill training in a weapon she is not proficient with. Her starting -1&mbsh;suit of studded leather is awful, and it is recommended to equip the first chain mail suit or better armor found, even if unidentified. Unless the enchantment on the armor is worse than -2, it will be an improvement. Vandal Max out Cha and Dex, Int and Wis are meaningless (7 each). get shield (+1) and weapon (+2) skills, max out the weapon knowledge. Wish for feathered hat for the Cha boost and AC. If you get teleport control it is different, just steal from shopkeepers. Wish for speed boots next, then a Cloak of Protection) then gauntlets of dex. lamp wishes could be mjolnir or cleaver, or silver dragon armor. use polymorph to adjust size of other armor. I don't do it without poly control though. Use blessed quills to write scrolls, blank in a pile in a corner w/ cancellation. armor, weapon, and charging. Midas a godsend, holding bag a hassle really. I never bother with dweomery, maxing out offense and defense is critical. You will need all the money you can get once you get the wine so get Cha and sell weapons. Still searching for Certus on a high level with her. Barbarian Getting a good weapon early on is key. I tend to wish for a +3 tsurugi or katana of muramasa early game because they're cheap. (Speed boots and a feathered hat are great and cheap, too). His natural high health keeps you alive long enough to get the armor plate from the ogres later on. Max out attack (weapon precision,fury, mighty blows). Maxing out weapon knowledge can be great for making money and getting a better weapon. Getting a midas bag is key for making money and keeping your weight down. Don't bother dual wielding since he's not fast enough with it and can't upgrade that skill. If you get a good shield, use it. When you've got enough money, forge new armor at the blacksmith's (I did reflection, because it's great against liches wielding wands of death). I had two +3 rings of regeneration and an amulet of slow digestion for most of the game so I never had to worry about food, switching to an amulet of life saving whenever things got dicey. Blank all useless scrolls (destroy armor, repair armor, create monster) and make them into identifies until you're satisfied, or enchant armor/weapon to get all of your equipment up. Bless the wine from the gnome quest at the priest to get your health up and you're practically invincible. Spell Strategies Light Spells If you can cast "lightning" from either a book or a staff you can zap enemies through walls and doors. This is particularly useful when you are faced with a locked door that some enemies can not open. When combined with an amulet of ESP, you can basically get free damage off on enemies whenever there is a locked door with enemies behind it. Combine with wizard lock for some particular nasty surprises. Life Spells Magic missile is a very handy starter spell. Again, some caution needs to be exercised since you can hit pets and vendors with this spell, however, it doesn't 'jump' and moves in a straight line. What is special about this spell is the 'bounce' and 'piercing' features, which is present in it and a few other offensive spells. You can use this on opponents on ladders to score multiple hits (4-5 if done right). A 'good' caster with this spell and lightning has most of the damage she/he will need and may opt to avoid death/dark spells, though they have some strategic spells which are helpful in and of their own right. Retreat Type spells Dark Spells Teleport Away If you need to get away from a tough opponent this can be helpful in teleporting them out of the room, or you can use it on yourself, though you might end up in more danger than before. You can also use this, to limited effect, to break up hordes of opponents. Combined with a ring of teleport control you can use this spell to scout whole floors in advance, teleport into locked rooms, and safely teleport out of danger. You can also create a 'safe' room on each floor by locking the doors to an enclosed area and teleporting in if your health gets low. While opponents can still bang down the doors, this might give you a chance to regain your health and mana if you get low. Combine with wizard lock (or a skeleton key), a ring of teleport control, and lightning for some insane potential. Lock a door, teleport onto the other side of it, and let your opponents 'chase' you to the door. Stand on other side and zap until they are all dead. Sleep Sleep is sort of a lousy spell compared to other retreat spells. It will put your opponents to sleep, letting you slip away. Has some potential with unavoidable lairs as long as the critters cannot bust down doors. Wizard Lock Wizard lock paralyzes opponents long enough for an unburdened staff user to get in 3-4 strikes before having to deal with any retaliation. This can be helpful both offensively and in a retreat situation. Especially useful if you just need to create some distance, but don't need to really get away (or if you don't have anything else). Death Spells Knock This knocks back opponents and does a small bit of damage. A good retreat spell if you have nothing else, but it can also be used offensively to some extent. It will also open (almost) any lock, such as locks on doors and chests, saving you time. Category:Strategy Category:Stonechukka Teleport